But there was still a ceiling on their contributions characteristic of the era in which they lived.

All of which makes a speech Walt Disney gave to his employees at the studio in 1941 that much more surprising. Disney told his male animators, who were currently drawing "Dumbo," to expect to see more women working at the studio, according to Sigman Lowery.

“If a woman can do the work as well, she is worth as much as a man,” Disney said, according to studio archives. “The girl artists have the right to expect the same chances for advancement as men, and I honestly believe they may eventually contribute something to this business that men never would or could.”

Many of Disney's animators had been drafted to fight in World War II, and the large new Burbank studio was months from becoming a union shop.

"His point was that he was not bringing women into animation to take away men's jobs at a lower rate, which was what there was some concern about," Sigman Lowery said. "So here is Walt Disney very early on saying this is art done by artists, whether men or women. I like to point this out because people have a mistaken impression that animation at Disney was always a man's world."

“If a woman can do the work as well, she is worth as much as a man,” he declared. “The girl artists have the right to expect the same chances for advancement as men, and I honestly believe they may eventually contribute something to this business that men never would or could.” - See more at: http://www.waltdisney.org/content/worth-much-man-cracking-celluloid-ceiling#sthash.jSHzuRV0.dpuf“If a woman can do the work as well, she is worth as much as a man,” he declared. “The girl artists have the right to expect the same chances for advancement as men, and I honestly believe they may eventually contribute something to this business that men never would or could.” - See more at: http://www.waltdisney.org/content/worth-much-man-cracking-celluloid-ceiling#sthash.jSHzuRV0.dpuf“If a woman can do the work as well, she is worth as much as a man,” he declared. “The girl artists have the right to expect the same chances for advancement as men, and I honestly believe they may eventually contribute something to this business that men never would or could.” - See more at: http://www.waltdisney.org/content/worth-much-man-cracking-celluloid-ceiling#sthash.jSHzuRV0.dpuf